Adjustable firedog



Feb 27, 1951 H. DART 2,543,230

ADJUSTABLE FIRE DOG Filed Oct. 18, 1949 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fig: 1

INVENTOR ATTORNEYS Feb. 27, 1951 R. H. DART ADJUSTABLE FIRE DOG 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 18, 1949 INVENTOR Babel-Z J'flDazi ATTORNEYS Patented Feb. 27, 1951 UNITED STATES OFFICE ADJUSTABLE FIREDOG Robert H. Dart, Sacramento, Calif. Application October 18, 1949, Serial No. 122,049

6 Claims. 1

This invention is directed to, and it is an object to provide, fire dogs or andirons of novel construction and function; such fire dogs including front posts adjustable between .a normally perpendicular position and a lowered forwardly projecting position whereby to then serve as rails which facilitate placement .of a log on the andiron bars in the fireplace.

Another object of the present invention is to provide the fire dogs with a novel hinge connection assembly between the lower ends of the pests and the front. ends of the andiron bars; such hinge connection assemblies being arranged to normally maintain said posts in rigid, upstand" ing position but. being readily manually releasable for forward and downward swinging motion of the posts to such forwardly projecting lowered or loading position.

An additional object of the invention is to provide adjustable post fire. dogs, as above, with an ornamental facia on the posts, and each such facia, while shielding the corresponding hinge connection assembly from View, being constructed to. avoid any interference during hinging motion of the related post.

A further object of the invention is to provide adjustable post fire dogs which are handy and convenient to use, reducing to a substantial degree the labor required to place a log in a fireplace.

It is also an object of the invention to provide adjustable fire dogs designed for ease and economy of manufacture.

A further object of the invention is to provide practical and reliable fire dogs, and ones which will be exceedingly effective for the purpose for which they are designed.

These objects are accomplished by means of such structure and relative arrangement of parts as will fully appear by a perusalv of the following specification and claims.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of one of the adjustable post fire dogs; the post being shown in dotted lines in lowered or loading position.

Fig. 2 is a similar view but with the facia removed.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional plan view taken through the post and facia of one fire dog directly above the hinge connection assembly.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional elevation of the hinge connection assembly of one fire dog, with the post in normal upstanding position.

Fig. 5 is a similar view but shows the post as in lowered or loading position.

Referring now more particularly to the char.- acters of reference on the drawings, the numeral 1 indicates one of the fire dogs embodying the present. invention, and while a pair are used in a fireplace, a description of one will sufiice, as they are identical except for being right and left hand.

Each. fire .dog I comprises a longitudinal jandiron bar 2 supported by a rear foot 3 and a vfront. foot 4,.

At the front end thereof .each andiron bar 2 is formed with a forwardly projecting mounting block 5 integral in part with the bar, and being of two-niece construction secured together by cross bolts Ii.

The mounting block 5 is spaced above the floor but is supported therefrom by an arched base 7 secured to said block from below; the base I being disposed ahead of the front foot 4.

The mounting block 5 is formed with a continuous longitudinal slot 8 open both to the top and front of said mounting block 5.

The numeral :9 indicates a normally upstandingpost, which post is rectangular in cross section and is disposed with its lower end portion projecting into the slot 8. The lower end of said post normally engages in a matching socket 10 formed in the block and opening to the bottom of the slot 8; the post then abutting against .a forwardly facing stop I i formed in the block transversely of the sides of the slot 6. See Fig. 4. A transverse axis pivot pin i2 is secured in the lower end portion of the post t adjacent but short of its lower end; i. e. the part which projects into the socket Ill. The pivot pin [2 is double-ended, and at its ends engages in verticalplay relation in vertically elongated slots [3 formed in the body at opposite sides of the slot 8.

Upon manual raising of the normally upstanding post 9 a distance to withdraw the lower end of said post from the socket H3, at which time the transverseplvot pin l2 moves upwardly in the slot I3, said post may be swung downwardly to a forwardly projecting, substantially horizontal, leading position, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1. At this time the post, ahead and to the rear of the pivot pin i2, abuts against an upward- 1y facing stop M and a downwardly facing stop l5 respectively, which are formed in the block and traverse the slot '8, See Fig. 5.

The post 9 is fitted, at the front thereof, with an ornamental facia I6 secured to said post by attachment bolts ll; such ornamental facia l6 including, at its lower end, a forwardly and downwardly curved foot-like shield [8 which extends in front, and blocks a view of, the hereinbefore described hinge connection assembly. The foot-like shield I8 is clear of said hinge connection assembly so as not to interfere with or obstruct free swinging of the post 9 from its normally upstanding position downwardly to its lowered position.

The ornamental facia I6 is fitted, intermediate its ends, with a ring or handle 19 which normally lies flush against said facia. However, when the post 9 is lowered to its loading position the ring or handle I9 swings to a dependent position, as in dotted lines in Fig. l, and engages the floor to support said facia and post in such lowered position.

When a pair of the described fire dogs are used in a fireplace, loading of a log into the fireplace and onto the andiron bars 2 is greatly facilitated by the present invention.

To so load a log, the posts 9 are released from their normally upstanding rigid position and are swung forwardly and downwardly to loading position. The log is then placed on such lowered posts 9, spanning between the same, and thereafter the log is rolled on said lowered posts, as on rails, into the fireplace and onto the andiron bars 2. Thereafter, the posts 9 are returned to their normal upstanding position.

The described fire dogs are very practical and convenient to use for the intended purpose, and avoid much of the labor otherwise required to place a log in a fireplace on fire dogs or andirons.

From the foregoing description it will be readily seen that there has been produced such a device as substantially fulfills the objects of the invention as set forth herein.

While this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferred construction of the device, still in practice such deviations therefrom may be resorted to as do not form a departure from the spirit of the invention, as defined by the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, the following is claimed as new and useful, and upon which Letters Patent are desired:

1. A fire dog comprising a longitudinal andiron bar, a post normally upstanding adjacent the front end of the bar, a hinge connection assembly between the lower end of the post and the front end of the bar for swinging of the post downwardly to a lowered, forwardly projecting loading position, and an initially separate facia secured to the post; said facia including a foot-like shield extending in front of but not obstructing the hinge connection assembly.

2. A fire dog comprising a longitudinal andiron bar, a post normally upstanding adjacent the front end of the bar, a mounting block rigid with the front end of the andiron bar, and a hinge connection assembly including the mounting block securing the post at its lower end to the front end of the bar for swinging of the post downwardly to a lowered, forwardly projecting loading position; the hinge connection assembly including vertically disposed slots formed in the sides of the block, a transversely disposed pin on the post at a point adjacent but short of the lower end of the post, the ends of the pin extending into the slots and being vertically movable therein, a socket formed in the block at a point below the slots, the lower end of the post fitting into the socket when the post is in vertical position and the ends of the pin are at the lower ends of the slots.

3. A fire dog, as in claim 2, in which the post is swingable to lowered position upon raising of said post and hinge pin; there being stop means on the block which the post abuts when in said lowered position.

4. A fire dog, as in claim 3, in which the stop means includes an upwardly facing stop and a downwardly facing stop for the post ahead and to the rear of said pin respectively; the post, when in lowered position, engaging both stops.

5. A fire dog comprising a longitudinal andiron bar, a post normally upstanding adjacent the front end of the bar, a mounting block rigid with the front end of the andiron bar, the block having a continuous slot therein open to the top and front thereof, the lower end of the post projecting into the slot, a vertical-play transverse pivot pin in the slot between the post and the block, the block having a socket in the bottom of the slot and the lower end of the post normally but releasably engaging in said socket, the vertical-play pivot pin then being relatively lowered, the post when raised out of the socket with resultant corresponding vertical-play of the pivot pin being swingable to a lowered, forwardly projecting loading position, and stop means on the block which the post abuts when in said lowered position.

6. A fire dog comprising a longitudinal andiron bar, a post normally upstanding adjacent the front end of the bar, a mounting block rigid with the front end of the'andiron bar, the block having a continuous slot therein open to the top and front thereof, the lower end of the post projecting into the slot, a vertical-play transverse pivot pin in the slot between the post and the block, the block having a socket in the bottom of the slot and the lower end of the post normally but releasably engaging in said socket, the vertical play pivot pin then being relatively lowered, the post when raised out of the socket with resultant corresponding vertical-play of the pivot pin oe ing swingable to a lowered, forwardly projecting loading position, and stop means on the block which the post abuts when in said lowered position; said stop means including, in the block in intersecting relation to the slot, an upwardly facing stop and a downwardly facing stop for the post ahead and to the rear of said pin respectively; the latter being on the post adjacent but short of its end so that the post, when in lowered position, engages both stops.

ROBERT H. DART.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 475,701 Paschal May 24, 1892 1,484,368 Alford Feb. 19, 1924 2,050,591 Stephenson Aug. 11, 1936 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 107,118 Great Britain June 21, 1917 

